From: Joe Dees (hidden@lucifer.com)
Date: Sat May 29 2004 - 05:58:56 MDT
Joe Dees
Sent: 29 May 2004 12:22 PM
Since Iraq is composed of both Shi'ites and (Kurdish and Arab) Sunnis
(not to mention a sizeable population of other faiths, including
Christianity), any governmental structure that can succeed in binding them
together must be able to transcend this sectarianism. Democracy does not
mean that Muslims won't be predominantly elected there (Christians are
predominantly elected in America and Europe, after all); it instead means
that nobody's version of absolute truth is codified into constitutional law.
After the handover of administrative power in Iraq, the US forces will
nevertheless stay for some time, in order to protect the fledgling Iraqi
constitutional democracy until it grows strong enough to preserve itself and
offer security to Iraqi citizens. As the Baathist dead-enders, the
iranian-mullahcracy-inspired Shi'ite hotheads and the imported Al Qaedan
shaheeds will continue to attack such a government for as long as thet are
able to do so, I forsee US troops maintaining a significant and effective
presence in Iraq for quite some time after the handover of civil authority.
This will be noncontroversial as far as the majority of the Irawis are
concerned; the majority of Iraqis, according to the BBC poll, both desire a
the adoption of a constitutional democracy to administer their country, and
want the US military to stay until it is safe (for both the new Iraqi
government and for Iraqi citizens) for it to leave.
---- [Blunderov] A thorny problem is that of legitimacy. It remains to seen how the transfer of power from what will be seen as an illegitimate government to one that is has legitimacy will unfold. With regard to the BBC poll, other opinion is that most Iraqis want the US to leave immediately. Who to believe? Best Regards Legitimacy is always a problem with the establishment of a new government, especially one that replaces an authoritarian regime, but neither I nor the majority of Iraqis care if the antidemocratic insurgents view the new Iraqi government to be legitimate or not. They know that it is a transitional government, and that it will only rule until the direct elections are held in 2005. Considering how long they have already waited and suffered, with no hope of relief, under Saddam's mirderous dictatorship, I am reasonably confident that they'll bear with the process until it runs its course. As to other opinion, I have not seen it supported by polls. I tend to trust the horses' mouths (the Iraqis themselves), and that is who was asked by the BBC (and yes, they were quite surprised, and dare I say it, disappointed, but to their credit, they reported the poll esults anyway). ---- This message was posted by Joe Dees to the Virus 2004 board on Church of Virus BBS. <http://virus.lucifer.com/bbs/index.php?board=61;action=display;threadid=30388> --- To unsubscribe from the Virus list go to <http://www.lucifer.com/cgi-bin/virus-l>
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